


I Carry Your Heart

by hisloss



Category: Percy Jackson and the Olympians & Related Fandoms - All Media Types, Percy Jackson and the Olympians - Rick Riordan
Genre: Alternate Universe - Soulmates, Multi
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-07-07
Updated: 2016-08-09
Packaged: 2018-07-22 02:53:49
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 5
Words: 4,095
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7416808
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/hisloss/pseuds/hisloss
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>(Rewrite of old work.)</p><p>AU in which you carry your soulmate's initials somewhere on your body and when you meet them a tattoo appears with it. </p><p>Percy is an Olympic swimmer turned TV/Movie star. Nico has followed his career ever since he turned thirteen and the initials P.J. appeared on the nape of his neck. Only Bianca knew, and he was willing to write off the coincidence of the initials, the odd cravings, and the déjà vu as symptoms of his celebrity crush, but during the media frenzy leading up to Percy's first lead role, 9 Muses magazine releases an issue with a shirtless Percy on the cover. </p><p>And over his heart are Nico's initials.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

Thursday morning Nico woke up to his phone buzzing with Percy Jackson notifications. He groaned and rolled over, not bothering to read a single one. It was probably something about the new movie, anyway.

Unable to go back to sleep, he showered and ate cereal before heading off to work, figuring he was early enough to enjoy a cup of fresh coffee before his shift. On the bus a group of girls got into a fight over a magazine that resulted in the driver actually pulling over and kicking them off. As they sauntered petulantly out, Nico spied the magazine in one girl’s hand, torn and wrinkled. A shirtless Percy graced the cover and Nico smirked quietly, making a mental note to check out the issue later.

The coffee shop was quiet as it normally was before the morning rush. Frank made him a Black Mort and Nico savored it gratefully. 

Just before his first break, Piper walked in and sauntered up to the counter, tossing her hair over her shoulder.

“Who’s your best friend?” she sang, arms folded behind her back.

“What did you get me?” he deadpanned.

She grinned and slapped a heavy, glossy magazine on the counter. Shirtless Percy.

Nico flushed and snatched it up. Ever since she walked in on him watching  _ High Tide _ Piper had been unable to keep herself from teasing and indulging his crush.

“I had to fight off about five high school girls and a skater for that,” Piper bragged. Nico remembered the scuffle on the bus that morning and glanced down at the cover. Percy was showing no more skin than he normally did on these covers. His dark hair was freshly cut. His sea green eyes and mischievous smile fit the playful yet intelligent personality that won him the hearts of millions. Nico forced a dry chuckle. _Mine, too._

Then he saw it.

Over Percy’s heart. A set of initials in thin, curling black.

He glanced up at Piper and felt suddenly dizzy. 

“Isn’t it time for your break?” Frank interrupted.

Nico bolted to the bathroom, locking it behind him with shaking fingers. He gingerly set the magazine face down on the sink counter and splashed his face with cold water. He reached up and scratched the nape of his neck lightly, took a deep breath, and flipped the magazine over

_ N. dA. _

It wasn’t uncommon to have three initials, but the grouping of the second and third letters was distinctive.

Piper knocked tentatively on the door. “Neeks? You okay?”

He looked at the magazine cover again and opened the door a fraction. “I need to show you something.”


	2. Chapter 2

“This is  _ insane _ ,” Piper breathed. Nico dropped his hand, letting his hair fall over the initials at the base of his neck. “Did you know? Before today?”

 

“I had strong suspicions,” he muttered. “Déjà vu. Cravings.”

 

She held up the magazine. “He wants to find you.”

 

PERCY JACKSON’S LOOKING FOR LOVE, read the caption.  _ Hollywood’s newest athlete turned movie star reveals he’s a romantic at heart. Literally _ , whispered the subtitle.

 

Tucked into the corner booth, Nico let Piper tell Bob he wasn’t feeling well, got him an Earl Grey and read him the article. The first part was a summary of the story everyone knew by now: kid from New York grows up being moved from school to school because of learning disabilities but finds achievement in competitive swimming and makes it to the Olympics by seventeen. Earned the silver and all the fame that came with it. He started making guest appearances on TV shows, then landed a small but recurring part on teen drama  _ High Tide _ . A few small parts in movies. Everyone loves him.

 

The second part described Percy’s first big featured role, an action movie based on the Greek hero Perseus. 

 

The last page is an interview.

 

9Muses: So tell us about this cover.

 

PERCY: Yeah, about that. [Nervous laughter.] The day of the shoot as I was getting ready, I realized that a lot of people were going to see it. 

 

9Muses: What would you say in response to this being a promotional tactic for  _ Perseus _ ?

 

PERCY: [Laughing.] Well, they wouldn’t be completely wrong, but I think it’s backward; more like I’m using the momentum of the movie to put myself out there and find my soulmate. It can be a taboo thing in this industry, but I’m not ashamed of using what little limelight I have to my advantage.

 

9Muses: The press panels and meet n’ greets will be interesting.

 

PERCY: I don’t even know if he’ll show up. Maybe he’ll hate that I bared myself like this.

 

9Muses: ‘He’?

 

PERCY: I just have a feeling.

 

Nico’s stomach knotted. He put his hand out and gently took the magazine, folding it so that Percy’s picture was hidden. His tea had gone cold, but he drank half of it anyway to alleviate the dryness of his mouth. 

 

He didn’t remember falling asleep, but when he woke it was already dark out. He went into the kitchen to fix himself something out of the week’s leftovers. His phone on the counter lit up. The screen was filled with half a dozen notifications about the magazine cover and a few texts from Piper and Hazel.

 

He pulled up the text message from Piper.

 

_ Did you forget who my dad is? I can get you tickets to the New York promotional event next week. _

 

He hesitated a moment, then replied:  _ Will you come with me? _

 

The phone rang. Nico smiled and felt relief wash over him.

 

“Of course I’ll come with you,” Piper assured him. “I’ll get the tickets under my dad’s agent’s name so that no one will know you’re coming.”

 

After they hung up, Nico considered calling Hazel, but wasn’t sure what to say. He and his half sister were close for having found each other under the unusual circumstance of their shared parent’s death, but they didn’t talk about things this personal.

 

He put his phone away after talking to Piper, determined not to look at it. The buzz over the magazine cover was mostly positive, although he cringed when he found out some people were already claiming to have Percy’s initials. He felt angry when he saw some of the pictures - the few that he’d seen looked legitimate - but he also felt anxious. What if his stupid crush was really just a stupid crush?

 

He went to bed feeling conflicted, but he dreamt he was swimming in the ocean so he was in a better mood the next morning.

  
  



	3. Chapter 3

The salve the nurse smeared over the back of Nico’s neck was cold and stung a little. He wasn’t used to baring his back to anyone. Even when he normally went to the doctor for routine checkups or minor illnesses, they never asked him to take his shirt off. But this wasn’t his regular doctor. Piper had insisted they see someone her dad recommended. The lobby had been very clean and was on the third floor of a building in a ritzy part of town. Piper scoffed when he made the observation but she blushed hotly when the receptionist called her Miss McLean. Her dad’s lawyer was there, too, which was weird, but he waited in the lobby and didn’t even look at Nico, which should have bothered him but instead made him feel a invisible and protected.

 

The nurse recorded his reaction to the salve - negative - and then took the document to be signed and sealed by the doctor. Piper’s dad went through a bad experience with a stalker who claimed to have his initials. She sent him dozens of photos and eventually Tristan McLean agreed to meet her. The mark was proved to be false and it took him several years to put a restraining order in place and get the press to back off. During that time he met his actual soulmate - Piper’s mom - but the tension of his legal battles and her reluctance to be committed to someone famous drove her away before Piper was even a year old. Still, Piper hadn’t grown up bitter about the idea of soulmates and she and Jason were made for each other.

 

After the doctor, Piper insisted on taking him shopping for a new outfit and a haircut.

 

“Can’t I just wear my normal clothes?”

 

“I’m not going to force you to rent a tux,” Piper argued. “You need a new pair of jeans that don’t have holes in them. Dark wash.” She pulled him into a shop where the sales associates were dressed in sharp, trendy clothes that thankfully didn’t look like anything too far out of Nico’s comfort zone.

 

“Don’t make me get a dress shirt,” Nico threatened seeing the way Piper’s eyes lit up when a male associate showed them to the darker palette of the store. He was wearing a pale blue button down dotted lightly with small lighter blue lightning bolts.

 

“I won’t,” she promised. “I was just thinking I’d like that shirt for Jason. On you, though…” She browsed the rack and piled a few pairs of jeans over his arm. He reached for a soft blue cotton shirt with sleeves that stopped at his elbows before she could change her mind about the dress shirt. Later he talked her out of getting new shoes, promising to clean his. He didn’t let the barber cut his hair too short underneath, either. He felt self conscious about the cut, but the shirt he picked out covered the initials.

 

Since his work schedule for the week of the event had already been set, he switched days with Frank. He had no idea how to prepare for the possibility of meeting his soulmate, so he was anxious and more irritable than usual. On Wednesday, Jason stopped by during his shift wearing the shirt Piper had bought him with the top buttons undone and the sleeves rolled up to expose the P. McL. on his forearm encircled by feathers and flowers.

 

He ordered a vanilla bean frapp and waited until Nico’s break to talk to him. It hadn’t been hard to make friends with Jason after he and Piper met. Jason was almost like an older brother, so his counsel was welcome.

 

“Piper said you’ve been thinking about bailing?”

 

“It’s just too much. Even if I don’t tell him my name or even talk to him, I’ll still see him. He’ll be close enough to touch and if we touch and nothing happens... “ he tensed up. “I’ve sort of had a crush on him for a long time. What if it’s just a stupid crush and we’re not meant to be?”

 

Jason pushed his glasses up. “So what if it is? Forget about soulmates for a while. The soulmate bond isn’t this magical thing that guarantees true love forever. You get a clue of who you have potential to be happiest with in life if you both work hard for it. That’s it. He might not be the one. But if you have some kind of feeling for him you should meet him.”

 

Nico went home after work feeling calmer. He was still nervous, but he was glad Piper was going with him and grateful that she’d given him the opportunity.

 

Before he went to bed he sent her a text thanking her and mentioning that she was lucky to have Jason.


	4. Chapter 4

The ballroom where the press event was being held was huge. Every seat was filled. The ballroom where the press event was being held was huge. Every seat was filled. Nico tugged at the collar of his shirt. The haircut he'd gotten the day before revealed more of his neck than he was used to.

 

"We can leave whenever you want," Piper soothed.

 

"I'll be fine," he replied, more to himself than to her.

 

Still, the waiting made him anxious. When the panel started, it was only made up of directors and producers. They talked for a long time about the process of storyboarding the special effects and how they wanted to interpret the Greek concept of soulmates before showing a special clip of the movie. Percy in Greek armor was distracting enough that when the lights came back on he didn't notice that all the principal actors were now sitting on the panel. People in the front rows reacted first and then the room was so deafening with applause that Nico couldn't hear himself breathe. Finally, it died down enough for the head producer to introduce everyone. By the time Percy was introduced the whole room was on its feet. 

 

They started out by having all of the actors describe their characters and talk about their overall experience filming. A lot of what Percy said was similar to his interview; playing a hero appealed to him, he was glad his first big role had more action in it than dialogue and he'd grown up listening to Greek myths. At the end of the panel, guests who'd shown up early enough were invited to ask questions. Nico's initial plan had been to go up and ask Percy a general question. Everyone who went up to the mic had to state their name first. But even though they arrived early enough, he'd lost his nerve and declined the queue ticket. Now he felt a twinge of regret, but also relief. 

 

In the middle of the third question, Percy's eyes met his. He felt something in him tighten like a string being drawn unexpectedly taut. The director nudged Percy to prompt him to answer the question. Percy laughed, embarrassed, but as the questions progressed, he kept sneaking glances. Piper grabbed his elbow. "He's looking at you!" she hissed. Nico felt himself blush and realized that she wasn't the only one who'd noticed. The panel ended with a viewing of the official trailer. The press crowded to the front as the guests started clearing out, but Piper didn’t steer him toward the exit. Instead, they joined a smaller crowd heading to another room.

 

“Surprise! I got us VIP tickets,” she looped a lanyard around his neck. “You’re one of the lucky few.”

 

There were only ten other people in the room. They were all given a gift bag with promotional stuff from the film, including a signed poster of Percy as Perseus. They had to wait while the press finished interviewing the panel and then Percy would get a short break before coming out to meet them. They’d all get to meet him and have pictures taken with him. 

 

Nico was nervous. He reached out and actually squeezed Piper’s hand. He wanted to thank her, but he was having trouble forming words.

 

“Since I got the tickets so late, we’re last in line,” she whispered. “The room will be practically empty when you meet him.”

 

That calmed him a little. The other special guests had been stealing looks since they’d sat down. He was the only guy there. When Percy came in, they made eye contact again and Nico ducked his head, awash with hope. Percy pulled each of his fans aside and spent some time talking with them before taking pictures. 

 

When it was Nico’s turn, Piper eagerly took his bag from him and gave him a gentle shove forward.

 

“Hi,” Percy greeted. “What’s your name?” he looked anxious.

 

“I’m… I’m Nico.” Piper prodded him in the back. “di Angelo.”

 

Percy’s face lit up and he stuck his hand out.

 

Nico shook his hand out of his pocket and took it. Just as Piper had described, he felt a warmth, strong enough that it started to burn as it spread halfway down his back. 

 

“Look,” Percy breathed, awed, pulling down the collar of his shirt. Red. A flower. Nico blinked.

 

Camera flashes went off.

 

Nico turned to Piper, but the press was pushing in. Panic flashed across Percy’s face and Nico felt his heart breaking, but he turned and ran, bursting from the room in a rushed exhale of terror. 

 

He didn’t stop running until he was almost eight blocks away.

 


	5. Chapter 5

It hadn’t taken Percy long to get used to camera flashes. Even before the TV role, he’d been doing commercials for endorsements and there had always been sports photographers at the swim matches. But when his soulmate turned and fled, he was suddenly overwhelmed, blinded by the flashes and by emotion. First, betrayal. That dissipated quickly. Nico hadn’t asked for this. Percy should have been more careful. It only made sense that his soulmate would seek him out when they could be most alone. The press should have never been allowed into the VIP area. He felt  Beckendorf pull him out of the way and then he was being led into his green room. A few of the staff stationed themselves in front of the door. Percy could hear Silena talking firmly and reminding everyone that they had signed a nondisclosure agreement in case of any situation.

 

Percy went to the couch and took a drink of water. His heart ached, and he was anxious to see the whole mark. 

 

Silena reentered the room, looking exhausted. 

 

“We have a lot of PR damage to deal with,” she sighed.

 

Beckendorf put a comforting hand on her shoulder and Percy looked down at his feet, prickling with envy. If he’d done things right, he would be able to do the same for Nico now.

 

Nico.

 

He was perfect.

 

The initials over his heart appeared when he was fourteen. Late. He’d been so relieved and so happy. Placement meant something, and Percy put himself to sleep every night dreaming of the deep love he would share with his soulmate.

 

And then the pain came. Certain smells triggered his soulmate’s worst memories. He was lonely. Sometimes a happy memory filtered through. More than anything, he wanted to make Nico happy. In dreams where they were together, Nico made him feel such peace - his life, as grateful as he was for all the opportunities, was stressful - and energized him, filled him with initiative. He worked hard to make the people in his life happy, hoping that it would reach Nico in his dreams or in whatever way he was connected to Percy. 

 

“I have to find him,” he murmured.

 

“We’ve already asked for a list of the VIP guests,” Silena said.

 

“His name won’t be on it,” Beckendorf cut in. 

 

Percy agreed. Nico seemed too smart for that. “There was someone with him,” he thought aloud. “I recognized her from somewhere…”

 

“Piper McLean!” one of the staff by the door called out. “Tristian McLean’s daughter.”

 

Another staff member nodded. “It was definitely her.”

 

Silena pulled up a search on her tablet and found two of Piper’s social media sites. They combed her feeds and found a picture of Nico. He didn’t have his own account, but his full name was tagged. “They seem to be friends,” Silena handed the tablet to Percy.

 

“Can we get her phone number?”

 

“On it.”

 

Part of Percy knew that this was selfish, using his staff and fame to find Nico. But he needed to apologize and ask what Nico wanted. He’d be heartbroken if the other never wanted to see him again, but he’d respect it. He didn’t care about PR at all.

 

* * *

 

He waited until the next day to call Piper, hoping that some time would help.

 

She picked up on the third ring.

 

“Who is this?”

 

“Percy Jackson.”

 

Long pause. “I haven’t heard from Nico since yesterday. We got separated and he ran off. I went after him, but I lost him outside the building.”

 

Percy heaved a sigh. “He hates me.”

 

“No,” Piper said firmly. “He knew what might happen. He panicked and ran and now he thinks that  _ you  _ hate  _ him _ .”

 

“Are you sure? I can fix it?”

 

“I’ll go over there first and talk to him.”

 

“Thanks.”

 

She sent him an address by text and he watched her go in. He’d wanted to ditch Beckendorf, but the most he could do was get him to dress in civilian clothes and promise to station himself down the hall from Nico’s apartment door, out of sight.

 

Almost a whole hour passed before Piper came back out and knocked on the car window.

 

“He’s ready,” she said. Then, “Don’t blow this. You have no idea how lucky you are.”

 

Percy’s heart jumped into his throat. He zipped his hoodie up to his chin and adjusted the aviator sunglasses on the bridge of his nose.

 

The lobby of the apartment was small but clean. There weren’t any guards, just a landlord’s office and a lobby manager who didn’t spare them a second glance. Nico’s apartment was on the fourth floor. His door looked like all the other apartment doors on that floor. Percy’s heart was pounding so fast and loud that he was sure that Nico would mistake it for knocking. He took off his shades and shoved them in his pocket, messed with his hair for a minute and hoped he didn’t look as terrible as he’d slept, then knocked evenly.

 

The door opened almost immediately. Nico ducked his head and rubbed at the back of his neck - Percy was willing to bet that’s where his initials were - before speaking.

 

“Come in.”

 

The apartment was narrow and dark. The only light was coming from a room and from a lamp partially flooding the living room. Nico went there and sat on a chair, then motioned for Percy to sit on the couch. It was softer than he expected.

 

“So…” Nico began. “I’m sorry about running off the other day. I sort of freaked out.”

 

“It’s okay,” Percy assured him. “I should have made it safer for you.”

 

Nico laughed softly, relieved that neither of them was angry. “It’s okay. It’s… I didn’t get you in trouble, did I?”

 

“The people who took pictures all signed agreements saying they wouldn’t release anything without my team’s approval. Just in case something like this happened.” They fell silent for a long moment. Percy caught himself staring. Nico was just a bit shorter than him. His eyes were dark.  “I wish this was more normal,” he said.

 

“It’s okay,” Nico said again. “I… I knew it was you, and what I might be getting into.”

 

“You knew.”

 

“The first time I saw your name in the news, I had strong suspicions.”

 

“Why didn’t you ever try to meet me before?”

 

“Until I started having dreams, I wasn't’ sure,” Nico retorted, defensive.

 

“I’m not mad,” Percy said. “I just…” I wish you wanted to meet me as much as I wanted to meet you. If I’d had any clue about who you were… Percy kept his thoughts to himself.

 

“I’ve had some bad stuff happen to me,” Nico said honestly. “I don’t know what you want from me, and I don’t know if I can give it.”

 

Percy remembered the pain in Nico’s memories. Loneliness. Loss. He’d gotten a good look at his mark the night before. Just to the right of the initials was a grey skull. Red spider lilies and pomegranate seeds spilled from its mouth. It was gorgeous. He wondered what Nico’s looked like.

 

“I just want you to be happy,” he confessed. “Soulmates… if you do it right, both people will be the happiest they can be. I want that. I’ve only just met you, but I want that for you, too.”

 

Nico looked stunned. “So… what should we…?”

 

“Can you get soulmate leave from work? My next press event isn’t until next week, and I’m sure I can get Silena to give me a break.”

 

Nico blushed. “You want to spend time together?”

 

“No matter what happens, I want to be in your life. Even if it’s just as friends.” That last part was almost a lie.

 

Nico relaxed. “I think I want that, too.”

 

Before he left, Nico gave him something. “Piper was smart enough to take me to a doctor before I met you, so that I’d have paperwork. I think your agent might appreciate it, just in case things go wrong.”

 

The file was sealed. Silena would be so happy. And having this paperwork meant no one would try to pressure Nico into a press conference.

 

Percy left feeling better, but still unsettled. He wouldn’t ask Nico about the terrible memories that made him feel like he couldn’t bring anything to a relationship. He wouldn’t ask to see his mark. As he left the apartment he almost felt like a normal person getting to know his soulmate for the first time.


End file.
